ASTRO ORBITER JET PLUS

The rockets no longer have the four tailfins at the back, but the ride is still unmistakably related.Ĭlick here to post comments at MiceChat about this article. When that park failed, it was purchased by Knoebels. After that park closed in the early 1960s, it became Roto-Jets at Freedomland U.S.A. It was originally Aero Jets at Forest Park Highlands, an amusement park in St. Photo by Jeremy Thompson, 2011 (CC BY 2.0) (modified)Īstro-Jet was an off-the-shelf Roto-Jet/Strato-Jet ride manufactured by Kaspar Klaus of Memmingen, West Germany.Ī similar ride is still operating at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, as Roto Jets. Rather than looking “Space Age,” Astro Orbitor has a 19th-century retro-future look. Astro Orbitor has golden circling planets and moons to make the ride more interesting to the riders, and to make the whole attraction a giant kinetic sculpture. It marks the entrance to Tomorrowland, just off Disneyland’s central Plaza, just like the World Clock did from 1955 to 1966.Īs with the original Astro-Jet, Astro Orbitor loads at ground level. Enjoy a ride experience video of the Astro Orbiter at Magic Kingdom, filmed in 4K UHD 60fps Believe it or not, this was my first time on this ride again since 2005 I think. In May 1998, as part of the 1998 New Tomorrowland, Disneyland opened another “rocket spinner”- Astro Orbitor. It was replaced the following year by Rocket Jets (1967-1997).

ASTRO ORBITER JET PLUS

Tomorrowland Jets closed September 5, 1966. The upcoming Solar Probe Plus and Solar Orbiter solar missions are expected to provide more insight into the physics of the jet turbulence and its relevance to. United was paying plenty for that privilege.Ī few years earlier, in 1961, American Airlines had begun calling its new Boeing 707 fan-jet airliners “Astrojets.” United was not too pleased that Tomorrowland prominently featured the trademark of a competitor, even if unintentionally. It was exactly the same ride, just with a new name.īlame Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room for the name change!Īt that time, United Airlines was the sponsor of the Tiki Room and the official airline of Disneyland. On August 7, 1964, Tomorrowland Jets replaced Astro-Jet. Postcard image from “1950sUnlimited” (CC BY 2.0) (modified) Disneyland nomenclature was looser in those days.Īlthough the Disneyland souvenir map showed only five arms, there were actually twelve-providing 25% more capacity than the ten arms of the original Dumbo Flying Elephants. Depending on where you looked, sometimes in the same Disneyland publication, the attraction name could be Astro-Jet, AstroJet, Astro Jet, or Astrojet-or the plural of any of those. The Disneyland souvenir map by Sam McKim showed the attraction name without a dash. (Tomorrowland was supposed to represent the future-1986, to be precise-but it did not predict that Alaska and Hawaii would become states in 1959.)įrom souvenir map © 1964 Walt Disney Productions It provided much-needed ride capacity.Īstro-Jet replaced the Court of Honor, a planter in the shape of an eight-pointed star, with a formation of 48 flag poles flying the flag of every state of the United States. You can hear their loud and annoying sound from all over Tomorrowland.Īstro-Jet officially opened at Disneyland Park on March 24, 1956, when the park was just eight months old. Watch gasoline-powered model airplanes, cars, and boats go around and around. You could pilot Altair, Antares, Arcturus, Canopus, Capella, Castor, Procyon, Regulus, Rigel, Sirius, Spica, or Vega.Īfter your Astro-Jet experience, visit the adjacent Tomorrowland Flight Circle. That’s because each of the rockets is emblazoned with the name of a brightly burning star. You can’t travel to the stars with an Astro-Jet, but you can travel with the stars. Photo, 1959, courtesy of Evan Wohrman (CC BY 2.0) Photo in Walt Disney’s Guide to Disneyland 1961 edition © Walt Disney Productions This ride is much more thrilling than Dumbo Flying Elephants.

You can fly up to 34 feet above the ground. Control the elevation of your craft with a small lever. High quality Astro Orbiter-inspired gifts and merchandise. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. T-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more, designed and sold by independent artists around the world. You won’t break the sound barrier, but you will have fun circling around. High quality Astro Orbiter-inspired gifts and merchandise.

Now, perhaps you’d like to pilot your own rocket. You’ve been taken to the moon and back on the Rocket to the Moon. Mickey Mouse enjoys the ride on a futuristic rocket jet.Photo by Charles R. Jim Shore re-imagines Tomorrowland's Astro Orbiterwith this statuette celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort.

Astro orbiter jet